10 Strange Addictions

Tanning, whether at the beach or in a booth, is a high-risk activity because of its known link to skin cancers, yet some people can't give it up.

DCL

The natural high you feel after a day at the beach could be addictive.

A study conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and published in the August 2005 edition of the journal "Archives of Dermatology" found that more than 50 percent of beach lovers could be considered tanning addicts, and 26 percent of sun worshippers would qualify as having a substance-related disorder.

Tanning, whether at the beach or in a booth, is a high-risk activity because of its known link to skin cancers, yet some people can't give it up. When we're exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun (or a tanning bed), our bodies make endorphins -- endorphins boost our mood. Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found that frequent tanners (people who tan eight to 15 times every month) experience physiological withdrawal symptoms when denied the mood-boosting chemicals produced during tanning. The withdrawal symptoms include dizziness and nausea, much like what a person undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal suffers.